PORTUGAL'S WAR IN ANGOLA 1961 – 1974

Abstract

Angola, once the jewel in the crown of the Portuguese colonial empire, has been in the forefront of world news for many years arising from the tragic and bloody civil war that has torn the country apart. Cities and towns have been ravaged, the dead and mutilated bear witness to the savagery of the conflict and the human flotsam of refugees reflects the misery of the uprooted and dispossessed. There was a brief period following the signing of a peace accord when it was hoped that this dreadful saga was coming to an end and the country could begin the slow, albeit painful, process of reconciliation and rebuilding in this once beautiful and prosperous land. These hopes proved to be short-lived and a vicious civil war erupted again.